Standout Terps running back commit out for season, new safety commit in Class of 2014

Jonas Shaffer, The Baltimore Sun

I know, I know — Fridays are the day we usually round up Terps football recruiting. I'm sorry for betraying your trust. But given the news of the recent days, an exception was necessary.

RB Thomas injured

Running back commit Johnathan Thomas will miss the rest of what had been a standout senior season after injuring his right knee in a loss Saturday. Thomas underwent an MRI and will have season-ending surgery this week.

It's uncertain whether Thomas' injury is captured on this video recap from the Boston Herald, but it's certainly possible. At the 1:15 mark, Thomas takes a handoff out of the shotgun, scampers off tackle, breaks to the second level and is sideswiped by a pair of defenders. The impact is immediate, and the stress on Thomas' right knee is hard to discern in real time. But Thomas drops the ball immediately, and the next shot is of him being tended to on the bench.

Thomas leads the state in rushing (748 yards) and touchdowns (eight), according to ESPNBoston.com. His injury resonates here on Tracking the Terps, with his highlight-reel plays having made for great blog fodder throughout September.

A 6-foot-3, 175-pound safety rated a three-star prospect by 247sports.com's composite rankings, Noil received his first offer from Maryland, which won out over Kansas State, Marshall, Buffalo, Appalachian State and other schools.

Norcross coach Keith Maloof told IMS that Noil felt Maryland “was the right fit and they had the total package put together for him" during his official visit to M&T Bank Stadium for the Terps-Mountaineers game. He is the lone defensive back commit in Maryland's recruiting class so far.